Yoshinobu Nakanishi
Papers
8
Total Citations
228
H-Index
7
About
Yoshinobu Nakanishi is a pioneering roboticist whose work centers on the development of high-performance, bio-inspired musculoskeletal humanoids. His major contributions lie in designing robots that mimic human anatomy to achieve unprecedented flexibility, safety, and dynamic motion. Nakanishi’s most influential work, “Design of high torque and high speed leg module for high power humanoid” (111 citations), introduced active temperature control to extract maximum performance from motors, enabling powerful yet lightweight legs for tasks like running and nursing. He is also the creator of the innovative humanoid “Kojiro,” featuring a flexible shoulder structure with spherical thorax, scapulas, and collarbones (22 citations), which allows a wide range of human-like arm movements. His research further explores coordinated whole-body motions, such as pedaling (13 citations) and large bending movements using spine and legs (18 citations), as well as robotic pitching through dynamic finger manipulation (9 citations). Through robots like “Kenji” (15 citations) and “Kojiro,” Nakanishi has advanced the concept of reinforceable-muscle, flexible-spine humanoids that can safely interact with humans and adapt to complex environments. His work is foundational for the next generation of humanoid robots capable of natural, versatile, and safe operation in daily life.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Design of high torque and high speed leg module for high power humanoid111 citations · 2010
- 2A shoulder structure of muscle-driven humanoid with shoulder blades33 citations · 2005
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- 5A reinforceable-muscle flexible-spine humanoid "Kenji"15 citations · 2005
- 6Pedaling by a redundant musculo-skeletal humanoid robot13 citations · 2006
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